Rajesh Bhattacharya

Rajesh Bhattacharya

Designation

Professor
Academic Group: Public Policy and Management

Contact

Phone No.: +91-33-2467-8300 extn 783
Email ID.: rb

Academics

Academic Background:

2010. Ph.D. (Economics) University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
2001 M.Phil. (Economics), University of Calcutta, India
2000 M.Sc. (Economics), University of Calcutta, India Class 1, Rank 1
1998 B.Sc. (Honours in Economics), Presidency College, University of Calcutta, India

Courses Taught:

Doctoral Program: Contemporary Indian Political Economy, Theory of Public Policy I MBA: Indian Economic and Political History (compulsory), Indian Business History (elective), Politics of Development (Elective) MBAEx: Environmental Governance: Concepts and Tools (Elective) PGPEX-VLM: Global Scenario (Compulsory)

Awards:

Graduate School Fellowship, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2004-2005) UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship

Consulting Interests:

Development Policies 1. Oxfam India―Baseline Survey for an Education Project in Two Districts of Odisha, 2014-15 2. NITI Aayog― State Finances of West Bengal, 2017-18

Past Projects:

1.The Unorganized Non-agricultural Sector in India: Policy History and Contemporary Challenges 2. The state of primary and secondary education in West Bengal: An empirical analysis using DISE Data (with Prof. Sumanta Basu) 3. Condition of Handloom Weavers of West Bengal: A Study of Three Districts"

Experience

Work Experience:

Professor (2022-), Public Policy and Management Group, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta 
Associate Professor (2016-2022), Public Policy and Management Group, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta 
Assistant Professor (2013-2016), Public Policy and Management Group, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta 
Assistant Professor (2011-2013), Faculty of Economics, South Asian University, New Delhi 
Other: Instructor, Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Assistant Professor (Lecturer and Senior Lecturer), Jogamaya Devi College, Kolkata; Guest Lecturer, Department of Economics, 
University of Calcutta, Guest Lecturer, Department of Economics, Presidency University, Kolkata

Research

Journal Publications:

  • Goyal, Anuj Rajesh Bhattacharya and Amit Basole (2024), 'Educational infrastructure and growth of small towns: Evidence from India', Habitat International, Volume 153, 2024, 103202, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103202.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2024) 'New Education Policy and Higher Education Reforms in India', Contemporary Education Dialogue,1-23, DOI: 10.1177/09731849241248876
  • Gupta, Priyanshu and R. Bhattacharya (2024), '‘Go-No-Go’: Anticommons and Inter-ministerial Conflict in India’s Forest and Mineral Governance', Land Use Policy, 140: 107095, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107095
  • Brown, A., Charkrabati, B., Mackie, P., Fuller, C., Bhattacharya, R., Bagchi, S. and Chakrabarti, B (2023). ‘Contested Spaces of Exchange: Informal cross-border trade on the India-Bangladesh border’, Forum for Development Studies, DOI: 10.1080/08039410.2023.2255211
  • Vandana & Rajesh Bhattacharya (2022) ‘Contested food, conflicting policies: health and development in tribal communities in India’, Third World Quarterly, 44(1): 190-210. DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2022.2141222
  • Gupta, Priyanshu, Anuj Goyal, and Rajesh Bhattacharya (2022). ‘Who Moved my Welfare Scheme? Federalism and the Politics of Credit Attribution in Rural India.’ Journal of South Asian Development, 17(3): 347-381. DOI: 09731741221113987. DOI: 10.1177/0973174122111398
  • Adhikari, A., Bhattacharyya, S., Basu, S., & Bhattacharya, R. (2021). ‘Evaluating the performance of primary schools in India: evidence from West Bengal.’ International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management. 71(7): 2630-2658. DOI: 10.1108/IJPPM-07-2020-0374
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2019). ‘ICT solutions for the informal Sector in developing economies: What can one expect?’ The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 85(3). DOI: 10.1002/isd2.12075
  • Bhattacharya, R., and I, J, Seda-Irizarry. (2015). ‘Re-centering Class in Critical Theory: A Tribute to Stephen A. Resnick (1938-2013).’ Review of Radical Political Economics, 47(4): 669–678.
  • Basole, A., Basu, D., and Bhattacharya, R. (2015). ‘Determinants and Impacts of Subcontracting: Evidence from India's Informal Manufacturing Sector.’ International Review of Applied Economics, 29(3): 374–402.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Mukherjee, A. (2013). ‘A Critique of Macroeconomics Curriculum in India.’ International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 4(4):352-370.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Sanyal, K. (2011). ‘Bypassing the Squalor: New Towns, Immaterial Labour and Exclusion in Post- Colonial Urbanization.’ Economic and Political Weekly, 46 (31): 41-48.
  • Sanyal, K., and Bhattacharya, R. (2009). ‘Beyond the Factory: Globalization, Informalization of Production and the New Locations of Labor.’ Economic and Political Weekly, 44 (22): 35-44. A shorter version of the paper was published as Sanyal, K., and Bhattacharya, R. (2010). ‘Beyond the factory: globalization, informalization of production and changing locations of labor.’ In: Harriss, J. and Bowles, P. (ed.) Globalization and Labor in China and India. UK: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 151-169.



Other Non-Refereed Publications 
 

  • Bhattacharya,R. and A. Basole 2017. “Editorial introduction: urban management in developing economics: challenges for public policy” DECISION, 44(2): 85-89
  • Bhattacharya, R. and I.J. Seda-Irizarry (2017) “La Feudalización del Capital en la Era de la Financialización,”Ambito de Encuentros, 10(1): 7-29
  • Bhattacharya, R. 2014. “The Informal sector: The role of urban Commons”, Yojana, 58:46-49



Book Reviews: 
 

  • Review of “The Politics of Green Transformation” edited by Ian Scoones, Melissa Leach and Peter Newell, 2015, DECISION, 2015, 42(2)243-245. Springer
  • Review of “India Public Policy Report 2014” by Rajeev Malhotra DECISION, 2014, 41(4): 499-501. Springer
  • Review of “The Oxford History of Contemporary Indian Business” by Dwijendra Tripathy and Jyoti Jumani, DECISION,2013, 40(3):269-271.Springer
  • Review of “Development Hegemony: NGOs and the State in India” By Sangeeta Kamat, OUP, 2002, in Arthaniti (New Series), 2003, 2(1-2) 2.



Working Papers and Published Reports 
 

Conferences:

Conference Papers and Presentations: 
 

  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2022). ‘Pandemic & India’s policy response to sustainable resource governance: Examining State agency in an anticommons’. 50th Annual Conference on South Asia. University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
  • Goyal, A., and Bhattacharya, R. (2022). ‘Growth of small towns in India: a turmoil of aspirations and desperation.’ 50th Annual Conference on South Asia. University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
  • Goyal, A., and Bhattacharya, R. (2022). ‘What moved youth to small towns: Desperation or Aspirations?’ DSA’S Annual Conference 2022. Development Studies Association and University College of London, London (online).
  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2022). ‘Crisis and policy dilemmas of sustainable resource governance: India’s response to Covid-19 pandemic.’ Inter-disciplinary Conference on Sustainability and Crisis. IIT Hyderabad, Hyderabad.
  • Kango, U., and Bhattacharya, R. (2022). ‘Work Games: Labour Process and Labour supply in the Food delivery industry.’ 25th Silver Jubilee Annual Conference of Indian Political Economy Association (IPEA). School of Economics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad.
  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2021). ‘Policies and Processes of Resource Governance: Anticommons property and institutionalized conflict in India’s forests’. 5th International Conference on Public Policy. Barcelona.
  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2021). ‘Anticommons-in-Action: Property and resource conflict in the coal heartland of central India’. DSA 2021. Development Studies Association, University of East Anglia. UK.
  • Kango, U., and Bhattacharya, R. (2021). ‘Scheduling Flexibility: Managing labour supply of gig workers in food delivery platforms.’ BUIRA (British Universities Industrial Relations Association). (virtual).
  • Kango, U., and Bhattacharya, R. (2021). ‘The integration of algorithms and hierarchy on digital labour marketplaces: Uncovering Labour process in Indian food delivery platforms.’ Work, Employment and Society Conference 2021. (virtual).
  • Gupta, P., Goyal, A., and Bhattacharya, R. (2020). ‘Competitive Co-Operative Federalism? Analysing Politics of Credit Attribution and Voting Outcomes of Welfare Schemes.’ Indian Democracy at Work. Indian School of Business and University of Hyderabad. Hyderabad.
  • Kango, U., and Bhattacharya, R. (2020). ‘Capitalism, Socialism, or a new mode of production?: The dilemma of the platform economy.’ Conference on Platform Economies in India. IIT Bombay. Mumbai.
  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2019). ‘Property as Problem: Rethinking Anticommons.’ 36th Annual Conference of the European Association of Law and Economics (EALE 2019). Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. This paper was also presented at XIVth International Conference on Public Policy and Management, IIM Bangalore and 5th International Conference on South Asian Economic Development, South Asian University.
  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2019). ‘Inter-ministerial Conflict in Forest Governance in India: Rethinking Anticommons’. Annual Conference on South Asia. University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
  • Gupta, P., Goyal, A., and Bhattacharya, R. (2019). ‘Politics of Credit Attribution: An empirical analysis of voting outcomes of welfare policies in a multi-level federal regime.’ 4th International Conference on Public Policy, International Public Policy Association. Montreal, Canada.
  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2019). ‘Commons, Anti-Commons and Justice.’ International Workshop on Spatial and Environmental Justice, Environmental Care and Stewardship: Theoretical Dialogues among schools of thought. French Institute, Pondicherry, India.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2018). ‘Primitive Accumulation and Surplus Population: A Critique of Capitalocentrism in Marxian Theory.’ Conference on "Capital in the East". Calcutta Research Group, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, Jadavpur University, Presidency University and University of Calcutta, Kolkata.
  • Basole, A., and Bhattacharya, R. (2018). ‘Political Economy of Populism in India.’ URPE 50th Anniversary Conference. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2018). ‘Structural Change and the Labour Question in West Bengal.’ Conference on Agrarian Change and Transformation in Post-Reform India: Pathways and Perspectives. University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2018). ‘Formalizing the Informal? The impact of demonetization on the digitization of the informal economy in India’ 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), Big Island, Hawaii, USA.
  • Basole, A., and Bhattacharya, R. (2016). ‘Populist Policies and the Agrarian Question in India.’ Second International Conference on Contemporary Debates in Public Policy and Management, IIM Calcutta, Kolkata.
  • Sarkhel, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2016). ‘Social Security, Seasonal Migration and Child Education: Evidence from Drought Prone Areas in Western Odisha.’ International conference on Development-induced Displacement and Migration, Land Acquisition and Resettlement. Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Seda-Irizarry, I. J. (2015). Plenary Session ― ‘Problematizing the Global Economy: Financialization or the “Feudalization” of Capital?’ 19th Annual Conference of Indian Political Economy Association. Goa University, Goa.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2015). ‘Between Accumulation and Subsistence: The Ambivalence of Informality.’ Contemporary Urban Issues Conference. Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Gill K. (2015). Plenary Session—‘The State and the Adivasis: The Political Economy of Forest Rights.’ First South Asian Regional Conference of the Academic Association of Planning, Law and Property Rights (PLPR). National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2015). ‘The Problem of Land Acquisition in India: Towards a New Understanding.’ 2nd Annual International Conference on Law, Economics and Politics. Oxford, United Kingdom.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2015). ‘Illegality, Informality, and Urban Commons in Indian Cities.’ Tenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. Split, Croatia.
  • Bhattacharya, R., Bhattacharaya, S., and Gill K. (2014). ‘The Adivasis and the State: The Land Question in Scheduled Tribe Policies.’ International Conference on 'The Return of The Land Question: Dispossession, Livelihoods and Contestation in India's Capitalist Transition. IDSK, Kolkata.
  • Basole, A., Basu, D., and Bhattacharya, R. (2013). ‘Sub-contracting out of poverty? Empirical evidence from Indian unorganized manufacturing sector.’ 39th Annual Eastern Economics Association. New York, USA.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Mukherjee, A. (2012). ‘Encroachment as Redistribution: Optimal Security of Property.’ 8th Annual Conference on “Economic Growth and Development”. Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2012). ‘To exploit or not to exploit: the aleatory reproduction of capital.’ “Globalization and Development”—A Symposium in Honour of Kalyan Sanyal. Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2012). ‘Growth, Governance and Informality: A Political Economy Perspective.’ Migration, Informal Work and Poverty: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Institute of Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Seda-Irizarry, I. J. (2012). ‘Making sense of Financialization: Neoliberalism and the Feudalization of Capital.’ Eastern Economics Association Annual Conference. Boston, USA.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2009). ‘Peasants in Contemporary India.’ Rethinking Marxism. University of Massachusetts, Amherst.



Invited Papers for Presentation 
 

  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2019) ‘Property as Problem: Rethinking Anti-commons’. Department of Economics, University of Calcutta, 20.5.2019
  • Gupta, P., and Bhattacharya, R. (2019) ‘Property as Problem: Rethinking Anti-commons’. Department of Economics, Presidency University, 3.4.2019
  • Bhattacharys, R. and Ray, P. (2019) ‘Informalization of the Economy and Fiscal Management: The Case of West Bengal’. Conference on Financing Development in India, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK)
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2018) ‘Accumulation of Capital and Reproduction of Labor: Reading Kalyan Sanyal through Enrique Dussel’s Lens of "Exteriority"’, 60th Annual Conference of Indian Society of Labour Economics IGIDR, Mumbai.
  • Bhattacharya, R. and Sen, S. (2018) ‘Condition of Handloom Weavers of West Bengal: A Study of Three districts, State of Working India Conference, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2015) ‘The Debate on Land Acquisition in India: A Political Economy Perspective’, Department of Economics, Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2014) ‘The Adivasis and the State: The Land question in Scheduled Tribe Policies’, Agro-Economic Research Center, Visva-Bharati University.
  • Bhattacharya, R. and Sanyal, K. (2012) ‘Democracy and Capital: Postcolonial regimes of Accumulation in India’. Workshop on “Rethinking Economic History: Circulation, exchange and enterprise in India”, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi
  • Bhattacharya, R. and Bhattacharya, S. (2012) ‘Economic Surplus in the Informal Economy: Revisiting Tragedy of the Commons’, SAP-UGC Workshop on “Employment, Social Security and Vulnerability”. Department of Economics, Calcutta University.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2007) ‘Surplus Population and Informal Economy’. Department of Economics and Politics, Visva-Bharati University
  • Basole, A. and Bhattacharya, R. (2007) ‘Eurocentric Social Thought and Contemporary Political Culture in India’. Festschrift in honour of Rajani Kannepalli Kanth, ASSA (Allied Social Sciences Association) Special event: The Challenge of Eurocentrism: A Global Review of Parameters, Chicago, USA

Research Interests:

Informal economy, urban political economy, social sector policies, property rights, Indian perspectives in social sciences

Books/Book Chapters:

Edited Books: 
 

  • Bhattacharya, R., & Shaw, A. (eds) (2021). Urban Housing, Livelihoods and Environmental Challenges in Emerging Economies. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan.



Chapters in Books: 
 

  • Bhattacharya, R., and Kango, U. (2021). ‘The Covid-19 Pandemic and its Impact on Global Political Economy.’ In: Bhattacharyya, R., Dastidar, G., A. and Sikdar, S. (eds) The COVID-19 Pandemic, India and the World: Economic and Social Policy Perspectives. Oxon and New York: Routledge, pp. 31-49.
  • Bhattacharya, R., & Shaw, A. (2021). ‘Introduction.’ In: Bhattacharya, R., and Shaw, A. (eds) Urban Housing, Livelihoods and Environmental Challenges in Emerging Economies. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan, pp. 1-30.
  • Bhattacharya, R., & Sen, S. (2019). ‘Handloom in West Bengal: Decline or Dynamism?’ In: Bandyopadhyay, S., & Dutta, M. (eds) Opportunities and Challenges in Development: Essays for Sarmila Banerjee. Singapore: Springer, pp. 367-386.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2019). ‘Primitive Accumulation and Surplus Population: A Critique of Capitalocentrism in Marxian Theory.’ In: Chakraborty, A., Chakrabarti, A., Dasgupta, B., and Sen, S. (eds) ‘Capital’ in the East. Singapore: Springer, pp. 137-152.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2019). ‘Labour Beyond the Labour Market: Interrogating Marginality.’ In: Jammulamadaka, N (ed) Workers and Margins. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 45-62.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Sarkhel, P. (2017). ‘Motives for Seasonal Migration and Rights based policies: Evidence from Western Odisha.’ In: Rajan, S. I. (ed.) India Migration Report 2017: Forced Migration. Oxon and New York: Routledge, pp. 206-229.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Seda-Irizarry, I. J. (2017). ‘Problematizing the global economy: Financialization and the “feudalization” of capital.’ In: Burczak, T. A., Garnett Jr, R. F., and McIntyre, R. (eds.) Knowledge, Class and Economics: Marxism without Guarantees. Routledge: 329-345. A translated and revised version was published as Bhattacharya, R & I.J. Seda-Irizarry, I J 2017, ‘La Feudalización del Capital en la Era de la Financialización’, Ambito de Encuentros, vol. 10 no. 1, pp. 7-29
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Bhattacharya, S., & Gill, K. (2017). ‘The Adivasi Land Question in the Neoliberal Era.’ In: D’ Costa, A. P., and Chakraborty, A. (eds.) The Land Question in India: State, Dispossession and Capitalist Transition. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 176-198.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Seda-Irizarry, I. J. (2017). ‘Primitive Accumulation.’ In: Brennan, D. M., Kristjanson-Gural, D., Mulder, C., and Olsen, E. K. (eds) Routledge Handbook of Marxian Economics. Oxon and New York: Routledge, pp. 144-154.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2016). ‘Primitive Accumulation: Concepts and Debates.’ In: Kumar, R. (ed) Contemporary Readings in Marxism: A Critical Introduction. New Delhi: Aakar Books.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2016), ‘Development of Capitalism in India.’ In: Kumar, R. (ed) Contemporary Readings in Marxism: A Critical Introduction. New Delhi: Aakar Books.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2016). ‘Business History: Travails and Trajectories.’ In: Thakur, M., and Babu, R. R. (eds) Management Education in India. Singapore: Springer, pp. 201-228.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2014). ‘A Relevant Economics for India: Dark Past, Bleak Future.’ In: Kumar, R. (ed) Education, State and Market: Anatomy of Neoliberal Impact. New Delhi: Aakar Books.
  • Bhattacharya, R., Bhattacharya, S., and Sanyal, K. (2013). ‘Dualism in the Informal Economy: Exploring the Informal Manufacturing Sector in India.’ In: Banerjee, S., and Chakrabarti, A. (eds) Development and Sustainability: India in a Global Perspective. New Delhi: Springer, pp. 339-362.
  • Sanyal, K., and Bhattacharya, R. (2010). ‘Beyond the factory: globalization, informalization of production and changing locations of labor.’ In: Harriss, J., and Bowles, P. (eds) Globalization and Labor in China and India. Palgrave Macmillan, pp.151-169.
  • Bhattacharya, R. (2010). ‘Ethics and Economics of Development.’ In: Dutta, N. (ed.) Beyond Developmentalism. Kolkata: Shreya Publications.
  • Bhattacharya, R., and Basole, A., (2009). ‘The Phantom of Liberty: Mo(der)nism and Postcolonial Imaginations in India.’ In: Kanth, R. (ed) Challenge of Eurocentrism: Global Perspectives, Policy and Prospects. Palgrave Macmillan.